Former congressman Mike Defensor clarified his role in the appearance of retired Marine Sgt. Orly Guteza, who has alleged that security personnel, including Marines and police officers, were tasked with handling and delivering large sums of money tied to ghost flood control projects.
Speaking on DZRH’s Damdaming Bayan, Defensor stressed that Guteza was not recruited but voluntarily came forward. A mutual friend introduced the former Marine to him, and from there, Guteza began recounting his experiences.
“Si Sgt. Guteza ang lumapit sa akin. Inilapit siya ng isang kaibigan tapos noong magkita kami nagkwento siya… para bang paputol-putol kung ano mga nangyayari,” Defensor said, recalling their first meeting.
He said he encouraged Guteza to relay his story directly to Senator Rodante Marcoleta, who was then conducting inquiries into flood control anomalies.
Defensor said Guteza had originally been part of a larger group of around 90 men — mostly retired Marines and some active police officers — who allegedly participated in carrying bags of cash. However, Senator Marcoleta advised Guteza to testify alone to avoid conflicting accounts.
According to Defensor, the accounts shocked even those involved. Many were disturbed to realize that the huge amounts of money they were moving matched reports from Senate hearings about billions lost to ghost projects.
While speculations surfaced that Guteza may have been compensated for speaking out, Defensor dismissed them as baseless.
“Wala kahit singko,” he said, emphasizing that no money changed hands. He added that other soldiers have also reached out to him anonymously, expressing fear but also guilt over what they knew.
Defensor also denied rumors linking former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to Guteza’s revelations, saying, “Walang kaalam-alam si ma’am GMA tungkol dito.”
Instead, he underscored that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself had called for corruption to be addressed, noting that Guteza “dapat bigyan pa nga ng medalya ng pangulo” for his courage.
The former lawmaker insisted his involvement was not political but moral. “Wala ako talagang politika… pero ‘yong nakikita kong nangyayari sa bansa na talagang grabe ‘yong korapsyon, organisado,” he said. He explained that his conscience compelled him to help Guteza bring the matter to light.
Defensor called on political leaders to stop bickering and instead unite in confronting systemic corruption.
“Itong turuan nila ng mga politiko, itigil nila, magkaisa sila. Ayusin nila ‘yong korapsyon dito sa ating bansa. Kung anong impormasyon ang makukuha nila, kung sinong ituturo kunin nila lahat para ma-address; ‘wag ‘yong kapag hindi nila gusto, mali may problema. Kapag gusto nila, okay,” he said, warning that the irregularities described by Guteza appeared to be “organized” and deeply entrenched.
